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National Parks

Donor

I am going to be out in Denver this summer and wanted to cap off my trip with a road trip to a national park. Since I will be out west and have a car, I'm willing to drive for an entire day to go somewhere. My initial gut instinct tells me to go to Yellowstone (it'll be late July).

DonorTMB OG

Agree on the Yellowstone assessment, and you'll be coming from the South which means you can also see the Grand Tetons. Might need 2 or 3 days in Yellowstone to see the whole park because it is pretty diverse. Highly recommend that you go all the way to Gardiner, MT, which is the Northern entrance to the park.

Edit - Also go to West Yellowstone. It has the Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center, which was pretty cool.

Donor

Donor

Rocky Mountain National Park is ~80 miles from denver and beautiful. Depends on whether you want to camp, or have a road trip type trip I guess. Book your campsite when you figure out what you want to do. They fill pretty quick

RMNP has a few loops that you could do over a few days. Just have to coordinate the back-country campsites via a map and how much you think you'd want to hike per day. Or the option of parking in the thick with a bunch of car campers is there if having a bathroom is your thing. You can do day hikes that way while only carrying your water and a little food instead of a big pack

Donor

Rocky Mountain National Park is ~80 miles from denver and beautiful. Depends on whether you want to camp, or have a road trip type trip I guess. Book your campsite when you figure out what you want to do. They fill pretty quick

RMNP has a few loops that you could do over a few days. Just have to coordinate the back-country campsites via a map and how much you think you'd want to hike per day. Or the option of parking in the thick with a bunch of car campers is there if having a bathroom is your thing. You can do day hikes that way while only carrying your water and a little food instead of a big pack

Hard to give recommendations based on what you've told us

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If you're going to camp in RMNP you better make a reservation yesterday.

TMB OG

Also within driving distance:
Carlsbad Caverns & White Sands NM. You can camp at White Sands, but neither is worth much more than a day trip. Also keep going south and you can hit Big Bend, TX.
But, out of all of them mentioned ITT, I'd still go Yellowstone/Tetons. If you haven't seen the geological features you need to before you die.

edit - One more that hasn't been mentioned, and I googled the distance for you at 14 hours: Glacier NP in Montana.
My favorite NP in the US and probably the best one ITT for the time of year you're going (as long as it isn't on fire).

Donor

Donor

Also within driving distance:
Carlsbad Caverns & White Sands NM. You can camp at White Sands, but neither is worth much more than a day trip. Also keep going south and you can hit Big Bend, TX.
But, out of all of them mentioned ITT, I'd still go Yellowstone/Tetons. If you haven't seen the geological features you need to before you die.

edit - One more that hasn't been mentioned, and I googled the distance for you at 14 hours: Glacier NP in Montana.
My favorite NP in the US and probably the best one ITT for the time of year you're going (as long as it isn't on fire).

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I have not been to Glacier. It is next up for me, but not until next year as I have no time this year.

so you could conveniently get to 3 of the big 5 with comparable mileage as hitting yellowstone

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I was talking about Zion and Bryce. The others obviously not. But it really depends on what you are trying to see, Tetons are arguably the most gorgeous mountains in the country and Yellowstone is so unique thanks to its volcanic properties. While Bryce, Zion and the others are completely different and also gorgeous in a different way.

Day 1: Drive from Denver and set up camp on BLM land near Goblin Valley, cathedral loop in cap reef, back to camp and sleep
Day 2: Break camp, GV, canyonlands, set up camp on BLM land between CL and arches, hike a bit until sleep time
Day 3: Break camp, arches, drive back to Denver

DonorTMB OG

I was talking about Zion and Bryce. The others obviously not. But it really depends on what you are trying to see, Tetons are arguably the most gorgeous mountains in the country and Yellowstone is so unique thanks to its volcanic properties. While Bryce, Zion and the others are completely different and also gorgeous in a different way.

Different strokes for different folks.

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Tetons is my favorite NP, just saying that I think in his circumstance he's better served heading to Utah or staying in CO than heading up the boondocks of Wyo.

Zion is my favorite NP, hike the narrow canyons. It's amazing and one of those stand out from the crowd memories from childhood.

I'll be going to Tetons again this summer as my Mom is a seasonal NPS worker and that's where she'll be.

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Zion is truly elite. I was there in October and fiddling around in the Narrows when a storm came. Managed to get out just as hail hit. The trams froze, everything flooded, it was intense. I have some good pictures of water pouring down out of holes in the canyon walls in torrential spouts.

DonorTMB OG

Day 1: Drive from Denver and set up camp on BLM land near Goblin Valley, cathedral loop in cap reef, back to camp and sleep
Day 2: Break camp, GV, canyonlands, set up camp on BLM land between CL and arches, hike a bit until sleep time
Day 3: Break camp, arches, drive back to Denver

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Cap Reef was way underrated, IMO. I did several good hikes without seeing much of anyone. I thought Arches was a little bit of a letdown, but of course it's still badass. Thanks, socialism. Thanks, not-myopic, actual conservatives who like to conserve things.

Donor

Cap Reef was way underrated, IMO. I did several good hikes without seeing much of anyone. I thought Arches was a little bit of a letdown, but of course it's still badass. Thanks, socialism. Thanks, not-myopic, actual conservatives who like to conserve things.

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Cap Reef isn't as accessible as the others. Hell, there wasn't even a paved road to it until the 60s. You don't run into many folks off the highway.

Donor

I'd plan on several days in the area to do it right. And definitely take one of the bus rides. It may sound boring, but it's really really good. Take one of the earliest ones too, that way you can get off on stops and explore some and not have to get right back on, but can wait on subsequent ones.

DonorTMB OG

Not a national park but one of the coolest, if not the coolest, places I've seen is St. Helens National Monument.

Space obviously does this on a larger scale, but nothing hits you so directly than staring at a mountain 17 miles away and seeing 150 foot trees snapped like toothpicks. Most powerless I've ever felt and most awe-inspired by nature.

Donor

I am going to be out in Denver this summer and wanted to cap off my trip with a road trip to a national park. Since I will be out west and have a car, I'm willing to drive for an entire day to go somewhere. My initial gut instinct tells me to go to Yellowstone (it'll be late July).

Fan of big trees and a hike with a great view.

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Rocky mountain national park
Great Sand Dunes National Park.
Or head west into Utah.
Royal Gorge